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Paul had felt a sudden fatigue before he collapsed at a training session.

His team realised they needed to call him an ambulance after his left side had gone numb.

It turned out Paul had suffered a basal ganglia stroke which is a disruption of blood flow to that part of the brain, either because an artery is blocked or because a blood vessel ruptures, causing blood to spill into nearby brain tissue.

After that, Paul was encouraged by doctors to rest and resist the urge to exert himself.

“The first year felt like a fog," he said.

The Lincoln Tug of War Club set up a chat group to keep up to date with Paul and he is now involved as a promoter and trains with the team.

"I remember hearing what people were telling me but struggling to understand them. I felt like a zombie.”

But in his determination to get his health back, Paul has continued to push himself.

With the help of physiotherapists and a walking stick, he was on his feet within just six weeks of being in hospital, in time for his wife’s birthday.

With the help and support of the Stroke Association, Paul was given a support coordinator who gave him advice and set realistic recovery goals.